[Year 12 SofDev] Test data question

[Frank Van Den Boom]

You are right. I could not even get my question right, let alone the
answer.
So the essential values to test in this case are 50 and 51. My point
here is that 49 does not test anything new that 50 hasn't already told
us, so why include it. 

Thanks. Frank.

-----Original Message-----
From: sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au
[mailto:sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Kevork Krozian
Sent: Monday, 15 October 2007 9:12 AM
To: sofdev at edulists.com.au
Subject: Re: [Year 12 SofDev] Test data question

Hi Frank,


 IMHO and unless I have misunderstood your point,  I think the point is
that there may be an error with the test ( the inequality or equality )
and/or the boundary value. 
Also , 50 tests the "else" part of the code , while 51 tests the "then"
part of the code.
Without a value greater than 50 ( such as 51 ) you would never execute
the "then " part of the code and never know if you had a logic error
there.
Your point about invalid data is a very good one too.


Regards
Kevork


>>> "Frank Van Den Boom" <vandenboomfj at aquinas.vic.edu.au> 13/10/2007 
>>> 9:55 pm >>>
A couple of the VITTA sample papers have had the following type of
question where students are asked to suggest three values that should be
used to test an if statement like the following.
 
if x > 50 then
....
else
....
endif
 
I have no issue with boundary values 49 and 50 being essential. It's the
third one I have a problem with. 
The solutions say "when testing an algorithm, always select values that
are within the required range, at the boundary of the required range,
and outside of the required range". So for the above code, the solution
suggests using 49, 50, 51.
 
I don't see that 51 is telling us any more than 50, so I don't really
consider it useful test data and have taught my kids to also include
invalid data types as part of this testing. eg. "apple" I guess it
depends on how/where data input features in the code being tested.
 
What do others think about this?
 
Frank

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IT Software Development Mailing List kindly supported by
http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment
Authority and
http://www.vitta.org.au/vce/studies/infotech/softwaredevel3-4.html  -
VITTA Victorian Information Technology Teachers Association Inc

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